Plankton: Reconstructing Radiohead

Radiohead may be one of the musical wonders of the world, but they sure have a tendency to frustrate even the most of ardent of their fans; be it studio recordings that betray the spirit of the originals, live classics that never see the light of day, or painfully slow recording cycles.

I’d complain - I can throw a rather accomplished hissy fit when called upon - but their outrageous behavior seems intrinsically linked with why they’re so damn good in the first place. Perhaps its best we leave them to their own devices, after all, why disturb them when there’s a whole league of crazed super fans waiting to pick up the pieces?

Reconstruction #1: Videotape, old-school Hammersmith style
Remember Videotapegate? In the build up to In Rainbows, Videotape was massively hyped thanks to the stirring full-band version that Radiohead had been touring with. When it arrived on record, however, the original had been put through the proverbial blender; a track once warm, epic and immediate became a challenging minimalist masterpiece, for better or for worse (depending on who you ask).

Regardless of your inclination, it’s hard not to be impressed by Pawel Osmolski’s almost unreal reconstruction of the original:
MP3: ‘Videotape (Mephisto Mix)’ - Radiohead

Reconstruction #2: Big Boots, back from the dead
Big Boots, also known as Man-O-War, is a fan favourite from The Bends era that never quite made it onto record. It’s difficult to understand why; Big Boots is probably the best Bond theme song that never was, a lumbering, sexed-up monster that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on OK Computer.

Enter the obsessive brilliance of Pawel Osmolski once again - unfortunately his vision remains incomplete (there are no recordings of Thom Yorke suitable for the latter half), but it’s definitely worth a spin or twelve for it’s raw, uncanny power:
MP3: ‘Big Boots (Pawel Osmolski Mix)’ - Radiohead

Reconstruction #3: I Will, the forgotten Kid A version
Perhaps the most curious reproduction out there, however, is this one. In the annals of Radiohead folklore, it is said that Like Spinning Plates was born out of a version of I Will recorded for Kid A. When they played I Will backwards, the band were captivated by the new melody it created, and the ominous character of the backing track in retrograde - understandably, they discarded their work in favour of this new song (for a full analysis of Like Spinning Plates, see Citizen Insane).

The original recording may never make its way to the surface, but its fairly easy to reimagine; reverse the backing track of Like Spinning Plates, and overdub the vocals from later recordings of I Will. This reconstruction by Michael Weber is probably as close as we’ll ever get - a lush, hypnotic arrangement, in great contrast to the plaintive acoustic track we’d eventually hear on Hail To The Thief:
MP3: ‘I Will (Kid A Version)’ - Radiohead

Plankton x